San Francisco's Contemporary Art Hub Is A Vibrant Melting Pot Neighborhood In The Heart Of The City

San Francisco's South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood stretches from Market Street down to the water, and within SoMa, you can find the Yerba Buena district. It's in the heart of downtown and about a 20 minute walk from the Ferry Building along the iconic waterfront. This lively and diverse neighborhood is the place to go to celebrate art and culture, thanks to its museums, galleries, and performance spaces. It's also got some luxe hotels and good restaurants.

Yerba Buena was actually the name for San Francisco for a time. Yerba buena means "good herb" in Spanish, and it was a reference to the native mint that was abundant in the area.  The district was built into what it is now starting in the 1970s and 1980s. It was a controversial project as it displaced thousands of low income residents, per SF Gate. "Activists pressured the City to guarantee that the Yerba Buena Gardens Project would include a public space for arts and community," per the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival.

The city followed through with the Yerba Buena Gardens, one of the highlights of this neighborhood. Built on top of part of the Moscone Convention Center, it's a mix of public green spaces and gardens along with public art and performance venues. There are guided tours twice a week through much of the year where you can learn more about the area's history, and you can go on a self-guided art walk to check out pieces like the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and Fountain and the "PointCloud" light installation. And the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival features a variety of free cultural events throughout the year, like dance classes, speaker series, reggae festival, art installations, and more.

The Yerba Buena Gardens also hosts the Pistahan Parade and Festival, which bills itself as "the largest Filipino parade on the West Coast." It's a vibrant celebration of Filipino and Filipino-American art, culture, and food that's held every August. When there's not a festival, the Yerba Buena Gardens is still a great place for families. The aptly named "Fun Zone" features the Children's Creativity Museum, full of interactive exhibits where kids can do things like make music, design stop motion animation, and build race car tracks. The museum is also home to the LeRoy King Carousel. Charles Loof built this hand-carved wooden carousel in 1906, five years before he built the carousel that you can find at the Santa Cruz' vibrant seaside boardwalk. You and your little ones can also spend some time in the Cho-En Butterfly Garden, which was built to provide a habitat native butterflies.

For the art-minded, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts has a rotating set of exhibits in a variety of mediums, all of which are designed to make you think. Bonus: it's free every Wednesday. For more art in the Yerba Buena district, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) has a massive collection of contemporary art. You can spend hours here. There's seven floors of gallery space, including some free areas and special exhibit areas.

And at the Museum of the African Diaspora, you'll find impressive displays of modern art that celebrate Black culture. The themed exhibits change every 2 to 10 months, so on each visit, you're likely to see something new. And the Moscone Center is primarily a convention center, but it also has a number of art installations that are worth checking out.

If looking at all the art in San Francisco's Yerba Buena district inspires you to expand your own collection, there's a handful of places, like the Berggruen Gallery and the 111 Minna Gallery, where you can peruse and purchase some contemporary art for yourself. And at Crown Point Press, which has been operating here since 1962, you can pick up hand-pulled prints and etchings.

You won't find San Francisco's budget places to stay in this neighborhood, but if you want easy access to all the art action of Yerba Buena as well as a comfortable, luxury stay in the City by the Bay, you've got some good options. The St. Regis San Francisco has spacious rooms as well as its own modern art collection by local artists. At W San Francisco, you're greeted by the giant "Pneumatic Dreamer." This bronze sculpture sits atop the main entrance. And right inside, the 27-foot-tall "Lumina" sculpture hangs from the ceiling and glows with a mesmerizing sequence of LED lights. And throughout the hotel, you can find bright colors and modern decor, befitting its location in this contemporary arts district.

There's also some great restaurants in Yerba Buena. For foodies who like their dishes to look like works of art, Benu is a three-Michelin star restaurant. Chef Corey Lee has designed a tasting menu with Korean and French influences; advanced reservations are a must. Amber India is a small Bay Area chain that's known for its yummy North Indian dishes. The Fly Trap, which first opened in 1883, serves elevated comfort food like smoked trout and house-made gnocchi. And Jane on Third inside the SFMOMA is a perfect place to enjoy some luxury food side-by-side with great art.